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One disappointing game shouldn't make you suddenly distrust everything Bioware creates.

ME1 is one of the defining games of the generation. DA:O is up there with the best of it's genre. ME2 was epic in scope and execution, not as good as ME1 but certainly the best game of 2010 (or at least tied with RDR).

Then DA:2 comes along and it's clearly rushed. By how long we've had to wait for ME3 and the fact they have been receptive to critiquing from the fans (such as how they ditched too many RPG elements for ME2) should inspire confidence.

That's exactly what people said about CD stores when MP3's started to become popular. Still plenty of CD stores around.

There will always be a demand for physical copies, and as long as that demand exists, there will be stores to supply. Besides, there's still the console market, which itself is growing as well as gaming becomes more and more mainstream.

Gaming stores will still be around as long as consoles are still around, but their selection of PC Titles will diminish. The selection of PC titles at most retail store are already pretty abysmal.

I think within 5 years most retail stores will drop PC titles completely, barring the special edition versions with physical loot.

That's exactly what people said about CD stores when MP3's started to become popular. Still plenty of CD stores around.

CD Stores are a niche, though I understand what you're saying because technically vinyl records are still being sold as well, even though they haven't been mainstream since 1991. However, it is not easily comparable to games since games cost a whole lot more to make than music.

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Besides still a ton of people who want their physical copies and having them on their shelves.

The fact that very few companies make actual manuals for their games anymore is reason enough for me to quit get physical copies. Having them on my shelves is pretty dumb because they're pretty much full already. Besides that, most of what's actually good these days are indie titles, which are download only (Super Meat Boy being a notable exception in that it does come in a boxed copy). So I honestly don't care.

Given that consoles are becoming more popular due to the ease of use (no installation and compatibility issues and the like) retail shops are far from dieing out, no matter what the doomsayers may claim. The PC retail market will diminish, sure. And I have no doubt that in the future, major chains will stock fewer and fewer PC titles because it'll get less and less profitable. Though you will always keep finding the smaller specialty shops of the type that still sell NES games that will keep selling them.

Given that consoles are becoming more popular due to the ease of use (no installation and compatibility issues and the like) retail shops are far from dieing out, no matter what the doomsayers may claim. The PC retail market will diminish, sure. And I have no doubt that in the future, major chains will stock fewer and fewer PC titles because it'll get less and less profitable. Though you will always keep finding the smaller specialty shops of the type that still sell NES games that will keep selling them.

But retail games will always exist.

I like how you're ignoring the fact that digital distribution is already on consoles and that this is not just a PC thing.

The only time I buy physical copies these days is when I want the goodies from a Collector's Edition set. Space is already a constraint in my rooms considering that I also collect model kits, and I don't exactly have the option to "download kits". :P Whereas with PC Gaming, I can centralise everything within my gaming rig.

The way I see it, digital distribution makes sense. It enables them to co-ordinate global launches better, prevents leaks via unsavoury store clerks, and replaces the production cost of packaging with server bandwidth, allowing them to have a higher profit margin and lower initial investment cost.

The only reason why I have not installed Origin yet is because their selection of titles is not compelling enough, BF3 notwithstanding. I will probably install it when ME3 comes out, as I do want to finish my character's saga all the way from ME1.

The fact that very few companies make actual manuals for their games anymore is reason enough for me to quit get physical copies. Having them on my shelves is pretty dumb because they're pretty much full already. Besides that, most of what's actually good these days are indie titles, which are download only (Super Meat Boy being a notable exception in that it does come in a boxed copy). So I honestly don't care.

People buy physical copies for manuals? I never cared about those things anyways.

Sorry you have shelving issues, but that's not really a reason for the industry to stop making physical copies. It's like saying my hard drive is getting full so we should stop having things to download. There are some indie games, but I'd disagree that they are what's actually good. Of course a question of "what's good" is a personal opinion thing anyways so no point really arguing in that respect.

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Originally Posted by Tokkan

I like how you're ignoring the fact that digital distribution is already on consoles and that this is not just a PC thing.

Though isn't that mostly for classic games that you can't easily find anymore? That's fine since the older games aren't too big in terms of file size anyways.

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Originally Posted by Darkbeat

One disappointing game shouldn't make you suddenly distrust everything Bioware creates.

ME1 is one of the defining games of the generation. DA:O is up there with the best of it's genre. ME2 was epic in scope and execution, not as good as ME1 but certainly the best game of 2010 (or at least tied with RDR).

Then DA:2 comes along and it's clearly rushed. By how long we've had to wait for ME3 and the fact they have been receptive to critiquing from the fans (such as how they ditched too many RPG elements for ME2) should inspire confidence.

One bad result is enough to lay the seeds of doubt. I'm not going to go into DA3 (it's bound to happen) without any suspicions after what happened last time. After all they talked about listening to the fans and yet came out with that product.

I'm still looking forward to and planing to get ME3, but we'll see how they do this time around.

I like how you're ignoring the fact that digital distribution is already on consoles and that this is not just a PC thing.

There's a hellalot less full-game downloads on console. DLC, sure, but you still need the disks for that. Old titles from former console incarnations that aren't even sold in mainstream stores anymore, sure. But full current-gen games? Not that much yet.

Varies a lot per console, too. I hear the Wii barely even bothers.

Not surprising either. HDD space is still an issue for consoles.

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Originally Posted by FlareKnight

One bad result is enough to lay the seeds of doubt. I'm not going to go into DA3 (it's bound to happen) without any suspicions after what happened last time. After all they talked about listening to the fans and yet came out with that product.

I'm still looking forward to and planing to get ME3, but we'll see how they do this time around.

I'm not sure what listening to the fans has to do with DA2 being disappointing to most. Last I checked, most of the major complaints (voiceless character, slow combat system, creepy character design) were dealt with. The only one I can think off they didn't listen to is the request for a modding tool.

As far as DA2 goes, the story was the weakest point IMO. I mean after DAO, I should expect something better. As far as the main story went, it was something I'd expect from an expansion or a bridge between 1-2. Especially with the way Flemeth was handled.

One bad result is enough to lay the seeds of doubt. I'm not going to go into DA3 (it's bound to happen) without any suspicions after what happened last time. After all they talked about listening to the fans and yet came out with that product.

I'm still looking forward to and planing to get ME3, but we'll see how they do this time around.

I disagree, there isn't a games company out there who has a completely flawless record without at least one game muddying the waters to some degree. It's how they react to that. Do they continue to press ahead with indignation or do they recognize mistakes were made and do their best to reconcile with the fanbase? All indicators point towards Bioware doing the latter.

As Bioware are still "those guys who have made some of the best games of this generation", I'm more than ready to sideline DA:2 as an exception to the rule. More bad games would make it a trend, but for now, it was only a one-off.

Steam has been offering 'collector's editions' of their own, basically the artwork or what have you is given in a pdf form. Not quite what I would want if I paid the extra dough. I totally understand why one would prefer physical copies. I myself only buy them if indeed I'm wanting the collector's edition which would come with physical goodies.

Finally finished ME 1 & 2 ~35hours each . Can't wait for the 3.
I hope that my crew that i saved in ME 2 ending will be all safe in ME 3. Still couldn't save Kelly & the others though...

Eh? Saving Kelly and the others from being melted into goo is easy, jsut make sure you go straight through the Omega 4 relay right after they get kidnapped (do not do any missions!) and make sure to send a loyal crew member to escort them back.